F80+ London Marathon 2026: Helena Mackay Leads a Field of Ten Remarkable Women

• Helena Mackay won the F80+ age group in 5:39:45 (12:57/mi), finishing nearly 4:30 ahead of runner-up Susan Nicholls.
• Susan Nicholls (5:44:15) held off Gina Little (5:54:49) for second, with a gap of just over 10 minutes separating the pair.
• The F80+ field spanned an extraordinary 4:28:54 from first to last — Jeanette Aker crossing in 10:08:39 at 23:13/mi.
• Clare Johnson and Leonisa Raquel Ponte Marono were separated by just 2:30 in a tight battle for fourth and fifth.

Ten women aged 80 and over took on 26.2 miles through London on a cool, breezy April morning — 56°F with a 14 mph wind — and every one of them finished. Helena Mackay claimed the top spot in 5:39:45, running a composed 12:57/mi. Her gender place among the women's field fluctuated across the checkpoints, dipping as low as 18,988th at the 30K mark before settling near 19,495th at the finish — a reflection of a steady, controlled effort rather than a dramatic surge.

Susan Nicholls ran the shrewder tactical race of the two podium challengers behind her. Starting deep in the women's field — 22,548th at the halfway mark — she climbed consistently through every checkpoint, finishing 19,992nd among all women and just 4:30 behind Mackay. Gina Little, meanwhile, went the other direction: she was the highest-placed of the three at the halfway split but faded progressively through the second half, eventually settling in third at 5:54:49.

The battle for fourth was quietly compelling. Clare Johnson and Leonisa Raquel Ponte Marono ran much of the race in close proximity, with Johnson ultimately pulling away to finish in 6:20:47 — 2:30 clear of Marono's 6:23:17. June Allingan rounded out the top six in 6:33:16, while Julie Anne Wilson and Patricia Seabrook finished within four minutes of each other further back. Patsy Holt and Jeanette Aker brought it home at their own pace, Aker completing her marathon in just over ten hours. All ten finishers. Every single one.